Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Gazans celebrate as news of ceasefire deal spreads across war-torn enclave
People celebrate while watching a television on a street in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on January 15, 2025, as news spread that a ceasefire and hostage release deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas. (Bashar Taleb / AFP)
Thousands of Gazans celebrate as news spreads that a ceasefire deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas, aimed at releasing the 94 hostages abducted by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre in southern Israel, in exchange for an expected 1,000-plus Palestinian security prisoners, and potentially ending more than 15 months of war in the Palestinian enclave sparked by the Hamas attack.
AFP journalists in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah and other areas witnessed people gathering in groups, hugging and taking photos with their mobile phones to mark the announcement.
